Arica Day Tour Part II

I’m not a huge fan of day tours, because it usually involves cramming as many things to see in as little time as possible with not much thought given tho how enjoyable it is. You spend the day piling into and spilling out of a van, while someone explains things to you that (for me at least) don’t have enough context rooted in the area for you to remember it. This isn’t a criticism of day tours from Arica specifically, but my view of day tours in general.

BUT these tours do make for some gorgeous picture opportunities. So here is the second half of our photos from our Arica day tour:

Chile’s “rainbow mountains” in Reserva Nacional Las Vicunas

Wild burros graze in Reserva Nacional Las Vicunas

A view of the many lakes in the region

A viscacha hides from the midday sun

A llama grazes beside an algae-covered pond

A flamingo grazes at Lake Chungara

The volcanoes at Lake Chungara are still active, and occasionally release puffs of smoke

We stop for a rest on the side of the road

A UV radiation index in Putre. Yes, it is “extremo”.

Ridges in the Atacama desert resemble Martian terrain.

We get caught in traffic on the way back to Arica. Freight trucks are the majority of users on this highway, traveling between Arica’s port and Bolivia.

A fertile valley at the foot of a steep, sandy mountain in the Atacama desert.